Point me towards the temple

There seems to be something interesting that happens for a young, unmarried, LDS girl between the time she graduates from high-school, leaves young women's and enters relief society. We suddenly stop talking about the temple. It's a scary thing. Talking about a marriage that hasn't happened yet. It's scary being the girl (or woman) in relief society who says, "I'm not married... yet." It's scary to hope that you'll be married, because all of the sudden it makes you seem desperate. But, I have realized that there is hope. And it's okay to talk about your dreams. I had an institute teacher challenge us to write down an impossible goal. One of mine is to get married. Now, before all of you come back and say, "stop worrying about it" or "it's not impossible", I can tell you that I'm not worried about it and I know it's not impossible. Instead I've just realized I have to put in my own effort before I allow the Lord to bless me. Slight tangent, but now we're back on track. So, how do we encourage our 18-30 year old girls to still look to the temple, hope for a temple marriage and not get discouraged? There is something very special that I wear around my neck almost everyday.

My young women medallion reminds me of two things: A. The temple is the reason why. The whole book of Mormon is about the temple. Really, it is so amazing. Everything is preparing us to "make and keep sacred covenants". B. I know how to make and achieve goals. How do you think I got to graduate school? How do you think I get up in the morning to do yoga? How does anyone do anything of worth without a goal? So please, remember to point me towards the temple. I need to not only get there, but I need to stay there. I need to keep my covenants because I need my family for eternity. The Gospel really does fulfill the longings of the human soul and for that I am so grateful. 

Love

You may hear it on the radio, a profession of love. I love you to the moon and back. You may hear it come from a close friend. I love you. You may see it in the actions of a significant other. He did the dishes. But one of the most interesting places to hear it is in the scriptures. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son." or "Lovest thou me?" Why is love so important to the Savior? He understands us perfectly and therefore understands how powerful those emotions of love are. Think about the last time you were told, "I love you." It connects you to other people and increases your trust in them. That is what the Savior wants us to do. Trust Him. When we love Him and trust Him, we will do the will of His Father, our Father. This will lead us back to Heavenly Father, a place that will be filled with love. In the scriptures we are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves. So, take a little time to think about it. Do you love yourself? Do you take care of the temple that houses your spirit? Do you look at your life and see something of great worth? In the end serving others, serves God. So, when we love ourselves, we can love others, which serves God. He is pleased when we choose Him because, in the end, that choice will make us the happiest of all.

Gratitude is working on me...

A woman in my LDS ward said something that is beginning to work on me, and changing how I look at my goals for the new year. "When I am grateful, I don't want more." This worked really well the other day when I went shopping with my mom. Shopping with her at Plato's closet is one of my favorite things about Christmas break. Quality time is definitely my love language, so I was excited to spend some time with her. However, when we got in the store my goal of finding a skirt was evidently going to be hard. Everything was way too short, way too tight. But I employed gratitude that I
A. Already had lots if clothes, B. Was out with my mom, and C. Had found some cute tops to keep me warm in Logan, Ut. So now when I get frustrated by clothes or when I really want to sleep instead of reading my scriptures, my gratitude can help me realize all that I have including clothing and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Recently, I started reading "Women and the Priesthood" by Sheri Dew and I realized that it is all about gratitude. I am grateful that I get to participate in Priesthood ordinances in many ways and that I get to employ my nurturing qualities by serving those around me. How can gratitude change your view?

A lot can happen in a year.

It's true. A lot of good can happen in a year! At this time last year I had a broken heart, my applications for graduate school were in and I was anxious to fly home to Georgia for Thanksgiving. This year my heart is mended, I'm finishing my first semester of graduate school (with flying colors), and excited for spend time with my extended family for Thanksgiving. It's been a bit of a bumpy ride, but think about what bumps do. When I was in high school, Doyle would drive me and Ben home in his jeep. He would hit the speed bumps and we would fly. Yes, speed bumps are there to get us to slow down, but they can also take us really high. That's what they can do for us. Speed bumps can help us slow down, get perspective and take us higher.

I'm pretty sure my speed bump days aren't over, and I don't think they ever will be. This is how we grow and progress. So, if your dealing with a broken heart, let it mend. If you're waiting for word back about graduate school, wait actively. If you're anxious to leave, take a minute to enjoy where you are. Let speed bumps take you higher to our Heavenly Father. 

Chastity

There has been a lot of talk out there about who is responsible for chastity before marriage. Guess what? "(Men and women) have a sacred responsibility to rear their children in love and righteousness." This righteousness does not magically appear when two people are married. Even when they are married in the temple of the Lord.

Instead it comes through preparation as individuals and a couple commit to one another. It continues long after the marriage has been performed as these two people strive to become celestial. So men and women can both prepare to rear their children in love and righteousness when they live chaste lives before marriage. Some people would say this is "old fashioned". Guess what, it is! Marriage was ordained by God. That means it has been around for a very, very long time. So, be chaste. It isn't a matter of gender, but instead genealogy. Because you are a child of God, you should treat yourself, and others, as the children of a King.

P.S. Doesn't that temple look like a castle? This is "The house of the Lord"- the house of a king. Because we are His children, THIS is where we go to become like Him. I love that. 

What I learned about relationships today: Communication

I realized something today. Sometimes, even when you do your best to communicate, it doesn't seem to work. Even when you mirror what the person is saying, explain yourself clearly, stay calm express your desire to understand their viewpoint, it still doesn't "work". So, here was my question: What is considered a successful communication? Joining the Gospel and secular research together, here is my answer: 

1. "The real challenge that we face in our communications with others is to condition our hearts to have Christlike feelings for all of Heavenly Father's children. When we develop this concern for the condition of others, we then will communicate with them as the Savior would. We will then warm the hearts of those who may be suffering in silence" - L. Lionel Kendrick 

We communicate out of love and concern for other people. We want to see them as God sees them and we want to better understand their point of view. We cannot control others' reaction to our communications, but we can try our best to effectively communicate our message so they will understand. We CAN control our reaction to their reaction. 

2. In our communication, there are filters that we have to pass through. Here is the sender-receiver communication model. 

                                                                            Source: Studyblue.com 
So, multiple things can happen. We can either not convey our message correctly because of an inability to use the right words, we can use the wrong body language or the other person can have a negative view of us that distorts the message we are sending. No wonder communication is so difficult. 

But there is hope! I am weak in my communication skills with others and it wouldn't surprise me if other people are too. Remember the promise give by a loving Father in heaven:

"I would show unto the world that ^afaith is things which are^bhoped for and ^cnot seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no ^dwitness until after the ^etrial of your faith... 
 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their^aweakness. I ^bgive unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my ^cgrace is sufficient for all men that ^dhumble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make ^eweak things become strong unto them."

A quick update

Life in Logan has been wonderful, albeit a little stressful and tear-filled. Last week I grabbed a couple of people and went to peach days in Brigham City. It was a cute parade, although apparently Aunt Chris said it was unimpressive in comparison to most years. 

Flags honoring Utah.

What parade is complete without some beautiful Palominos?

We had a great spot by the temple to watch the storm move in. 

 Down near the vendor booths

For my birthday my brother made me a Georgia cutting board. I miss Georgia, so I pull it out every now and then. It smells so good! 

 A beautiful Logan sunset. I get to see these, or city lights, as I come down from school. Just a reminder of God's tender mercies to a graduate student. 

Utah State Game!

The first Utah State home game was so great. We had a down pour, which sent many people home. But that's okay, because we took their seats and ended up in the third row by the end of the game. We creamed Weber State, it would have been embarrassing if we hadn't, but they did score a touchdown in the last 2 minutes of the game. Jumping in puddles on the way home and drinking hot chocolate at the nottingham house put the cherry on top of a pretty great game. 

 On our way to the game.

 Courtney, Aubree and Emily. 

 I actually thought of the BYU fight song: "We will fight, day or night, rain or snow!" We had quite the sprinkling during the game, but it was so worth it. I feel like a real Aggie. 

Right before Weber scored. We didn't get to 100, although the fans were chanting it during the last ten minutes.